Dark King Ascending
by SoftRogue
Summary: We all know that Ranma is the greatest martial artist there is...but how did he become what he is today?
1. PrologChapter 1

Dark King Ascending  
a Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic  
by SoftRogue  
whiteb100@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer:  
I disclaim, I disclaim!  
  
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Prolog/Chapter 1  
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18 years ago...  
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The nurse gently took the child from the arms of his mother. Placing him into a waiting crib, she wheeled him out of the operating room and down the hall. Entering a small room, the nurse came to a stop. She then lifted the newborn out of the crib and began to clean the blood and gunk off of him. Once done she efficiently measured and weighed him before recording the information.  
  
The nurse then lifted the newborn up to eye level and peered at him intently with her crimson eyes. She felt a small thrill of satisfaction as he opened his crystal blue eyes and focused on her with a serious expression on his young face. With his small hands he reached out and grasped her long dark emerald hair and pulled lightly.  
  
Gently removing his hands from her hair, the nurse placed him back into the crib. Tucking him into a blanket, she wheeled him out of the small room and down the hall, into an elevator and up several floors. Exiting the elevator, she then wheeled the crib down another hall and finally into another room.  
  
"Nodoka Saotome?" the nurse asked.  
  
"Yes. Is that my son? May I hold him?" the new mother asked with excitement.  
  
"Of course, Saotome-san." The nurse said as she lifted the newborn out of the crib and returned him to his mother.  
  
Holding her newborn son close to her Nodoka said, "He's a handsome one, isn't he."   
  
"Yes he is." the nurse said with a small smile. "I can see girls flocking after him in a few years."  
  
With a proud smile Nodoka said, "You really think so?" Seeing the nurse nod, she then said, "Well I guess I should chose a name for him. Would you mind helping me pick one? I've narrowed my choice down to two."  
  
"Shouldn't your husband be helping you with the naming of your child?" the nurse asked carefully.  
  
A small frown crossed Nodoka's face, "As soon as he heard that we had a son, my husband went out to celebrate with his best friend." She shook her head before her smile returned. "Anyway I've narrowed my choices down to either Ataru or Ranma. What do you think?"  
  
Looking with contemplation for several moments at the baby, the nurse finally said very slowly, "'Wild Horse' I believe will suit him well."  
  
"Then Ranma it is. Tell me," Nodoka asked with hope in her voice, "Do you think that Ranma will grow up to be manly?"  
  
Looking at the new mother closely for a moment, the nurse answered carefully. "Yes. Yes he will. Now, if you would excuse me?"  
  
Exiting the room, the nurse leaned heavily against the door. Sighing deeply she closed her eyes as a single tear trickled down her cheek.   
  
"Please forgive me, Ranma." Setsuna Meiou, also known as Sailor Pluto; Guardian of Time; said as she disappeared from the time stream.  
  
**********  
14 years ago...  
**********  
  
A four year old Ranma was having the time of his young life. His mommy warned him not to leave the back yard, but Ranma's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He couldn't help it. He just had to follow the kitty around just to see where it was going. With daddy teaching him how to play in a really fun way, Ranma was able to pull himself up onto walls and climb across them. And it was fun following the kitty around.   
  
Ranma wasn't lost. Not really. He just didn't know where he was, that's all.  
  
"Hello there, little boy. Are you lost?"  
  
Ranma looked up in surprise and said the first thing that came to mind. "Pretty lady."  
  
Blinking in surprise, Setsuna said, "Why thank you, little boy. What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Ranma." he said with pride, "And I ain't lost, I just don't know where home is."  
  
"I see. Well, if you'd like I'll take you there." she said as she held out a hand.  
  
Looking at her seriously for a moment Ranma finally nodded and took her hand. As the woman began to walk she asked, "So, Ranma, what do you want to be when you grow up?"  
  
"A Martial Artist. I'm going to be the bestist ever! My daddy is gonna teach me!"  
  
"Oh really? Well I'm sure you're going to be the 'bestist ever'." she said with a small smile. "Just remember, you should try to help others whenever you can. Just because you're better in one thing than someone else is, that doesn't mean that you are a better person than they are, alright?"  
  
Ranma looked up at the pretty lady with a confused look on his face as he tried to puzzle out her words. Finally he nodded with conviction and said "Ok, pretty lady."  
  
Finally coming to a stop she said, "Here we are, Ranma. You had better get inside, I'm sure your mother is worried."  
  
Releasing her hand, Ranma walked forward several steps before turning around. "Ok, pretty lady. I love you. Bye-bye." he waved at her before running inside.  
  
**********  
13 years ago...  
**********  
  
Ranma sat with his blanket wrapped around him, shivering in fright in the cold nights air. The nearby fire had burned down to nothing, leaving the five year old boy in the dark. Nearby, his poppa lay in a drunken stupor, the stench of alcohol thick around him. It's been a full day since poppa had taken him from momma, and Ranma wasn't too sure that this training trip idea was a good one.  
  
He was bruised all over from the 'training' that poppa had put him through since the sun had risen. When the pain became too much, Ranma had begun to cry. That had only made the 'training' worse, as poppa began to say mean things like 'No son of mine is going to be a cry-baby' or 'Real men don't cry' or even 'What are you? A little girl?'. Ranma didn't know which hurt more, the 'training' or the words.  
  
"It'll be alright, Ranma." a soft, kindly voice behind him said.  
  
Gripping his blanket close to him, Ranma looked behind him. "Who...who are you? Are you a fairy?"  
  
Sitting down carefully next to him, the woman smoothed out her pants and jacket. "No, I'm not a fairy. I am...a guardian, of sorts."  
  
"Oh," Ranma said, with a hint of disappointment, "What'cha ya doing here?"  
  
Looking at him kindly with her red eyes she said, "My job, in a fashion. You know, if it hurts it's alright to cry Ranma."  
  
"No it ain't." the boy said defensively, "Poppa said only girls cry, and I ain't no girl."  
  
"I see..." she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously at the sleeping form of Genma. "You should get some sleep, Ranma. You'll have a busy day tomorrow."  
  
"I...I ain't tired." he replied, with a hint of fear in his voice.  
  
Reaching over, she gently pushed him to a laying position and she adjusted the blanket over him. "Don't worry, Ranma. I'll watch over you tonight and every night for as long as you need me to. I'll watch over you as I've watched over the duty I was given long ago."  
  
With that, she began to softly sing a song that hadn't been heard by any in a long, long time. Finally coming to the end of the song, she looked over at Ranma's sleeping form and reached over to smooth his hair.  
  
"Good night, Ranma." The Guardian of Time said as she settled in. For tonight, she would keep her promise in person rather than from her normal post.  
  
**********  
12 years, 6 months ago...  
**********  
  
Setsuna sat patiently on the steps of the home she had rented out for the month; a glamour provided by the Luna Pen cast over her to hide her appearance firmly in place. Occasionally she stroked the hair of the small child that was resting in her lap. Looking down sadly at the boy, she tried to calm herself for the task at hand.  
  
What she was waiting for should happen in five, four, three, two...  
  
"Hello there." Genma said as he entered the grounds, "I've seen you've found my good for nothing son. I'll just take him off your hands now."  
  
"I don't think so." Setsuna said, allowing her towering anger to creep into her voice.  
  
"Excuse me?" Genma said in surprise at the thought of the little old lady he saw before him trying to challenge his authority over his meal-ticket...er, son.  
  
"You heard me. I recognize the signs of the Neko-ken training. If you take your son now, he will never revert from his feral condition. He will spend the rest of his life thinking that he is nothing more than a mere housecat."  
  
"You know about the Neko-ken? Can cure him? If you can, I'll give you anything you want. Anything at all! My son would make a perfect husband for one of your granddaughters one day." Genma said, thinking to get his son 'fixed' without having to actually pay for it.  
  
"I cannot cure him completely of what you've done in your stupidly. The best I'll be able to do is to bring him out of his feral state and tech him how to resist the Neko-ken's pull. However, for the rest of his life he will forever be afraid of felines; and when his fear peaks he'll most likely revert back into a feral state." Setsuna leveled her gaze at Genma, her stare hard enough to chip diamond. "And as for payment, I want nothing from you; especially nothing you have no right to give."   
  
"I don't know what you mean." Genma said nervously.  
  
If her gaze was hard before, it was nothing compared to how she looked at Genma now. "I believe you know EXACTLY what I mean; Genma Saotome." she spat, "Or do I have to mention the Tendos'? Or the Kuonjis'? Or perhaps the Daitokujis'? Leave. Now. Do not show your sorry excuse for a carcass around here for three weeks. That is how long it will take. Now go!" With her last words, she embraced the power of Pluto around her and stared Genma down.  
  
Nodding quickly, Genma turned around and fled as fast as he could; not even wanting to consider how the little old lady seemed to know so much about him. Setsuna watched him go and let the glamour around her fade, "Damn you, Genma Saotome. Damn you to hell."  
  
Looking down at the purring boy in her lap, she gently ran a hand through his hair and fought back her tears.   
  
"...and Damn me..."  
  
**********  
6 years ago...  
**********  
  
A twelve year old Ranma sat alone in the night tending the pair rabbits he'd caught over the fire. Pops had left him alone for a 'special training exercise' for the past two nights and wasn't expected to return for at least another week and a half. The purpose of the 'exercise' was simple. Survive.   
  
Part of Ranma was excited by the challenge, but another part of him wasn't so sure about the real reason why he was left to fend for himself. Over the years, the absolute trust Ranma had once had for his father began to slowly fade to be replaced with contempt. While Ranma appreciated what the 'exercise' was suppose to be teaching him, his gut was telling him that his pops was out eating and drinking his fill on whatever he could get his hands on.  
  
A twig snapped behind him and Ranma leapt to his feet and turned around, stumbling to regain his footing. What he saw left him breathless.  
  
"Hello there, Ranma."  
  
Taking in the sight of the beautiful woman before him, Ranma could only stare with wide eyes. Not even her clothing, pristine in condition and nowhere near appropriate for being in the middle of a forest, could brake the spell her appearance cast over him.  
  
"May I join you?" She asked softly, slowly approaching the fire.  
  
Nodding slowly, he moved and offered her the log he had just been sitting on. Sitting down on the ground across the fire from her, Ranma was afraid to speak; lest the magic of the moment be broken. But he had to say something that was bothering him since he first saw her.  
  
"I...I know you, don't I?"  
  
"Perhaps." she said with a mysterious smile. She reached over to pick up one of the rabbits out of the fire, "May I?" she asked, to which Ranma nodded once again.  
  
Taking a bite of the meat, she licked the juices off her lips and fingers. "Delicious." She said with a smile, "So tell me, Ranma. How has your training been going?"  
  
Shaking himself out of his thoughts the young teenager said, "It's going great! Pops been teaching me lots of stuff and it don't nearly hurt as much as it use to. Soon I'll be as good as he is."  
  
"That's nice." She smiled at Ranma's enthusiasm. "But what are you going to do when your that good?"  
  
"What'cha mean?"  
  
Taking another a bite of the rabbit, she looked at Ranma intently and said, "You're learning a dangerous and powerful skill, Ranma. It can be deadly to others if you don't use it correctly. So tell me, Ranma, what are you going to do once you're as skilled as your father?"  
  
Peering deep into the fire, Ranma slowly responded. "Well, pops is always saying that it's the sworn duty of the martial artist to protect mankind from monsters." Pausing to look up at the light reflecting from the beautiful woman's crimson eyes he said apologetically, "Although when he says that ta someone, he's usually trying to get something from them." Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma returned his gaze to the fire. "I guess...I guess I'll protect people from monsters."  
  
"Oh really?" she said with a hint of humor. "So, you plan to go around the countryside finding monsters to fight?"  
  
"Well, yea. What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing at all. But tell me, how will you know when you've found a monster?"  
  
"Well...they're ugly and have fur and long tails and claws and big yellow eyes..."  
  
"Really." she said, hiding her grin at Ranma's description by taking another bite of the rabbit. "So tell me, how will you be able to tell if a monster looks like a human? Or if a human is a monster?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You see Ranma, just because something looks like a 'monster' doesn't mean that it's evil. By the same token, just because someone is human doesn't mean that they are good. So tell me Ranma, how will you be able to tell the difference?"  
  
Deep in thought, Ranma finally responded carefully. "Well, I guess I can't. So...I guess, well I heard something several months ago when we were training outside of Kyoto. Aku-Soku-Zan."  
  
Blinking in total surprise, the woman placed the reference and said, "Slay Evil Immediately? The motto of the Shinsengumi during the Menji Revolution? A bit...harsh, perhaps. But what about those who are simply misguided or ignorant? What about them?"  
  
"Well...maybe I should try to protect the weak?" Ranma said, looking up hopefully.   
  
"'To protect the weak.' Yes, now that would be a admirable duty."  
  
Looking into the fire Ranma said, "I was wondering. Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you?" Not hearing a response, he looked up to see the log vacated.  
  
Staring at the empty seat, Ranma wondered if she had been nothing more that a figment of his imagination. However, the missing rabbit answered that question for him.   
  
"How did she do that?"  
  
**********  
2 years, 6 months ago...  
**********  
  
Ranma sat on a rickety dock looking out across the Sea of Japan. He and his father had just spent several days swimming across from Japan to Mainland China. Genma had said that it would be good training, and besides; they didn't have enough money to travel the 'normal' way. But somehow Genma had enough money to gorge himself on food and drink himself under the table here in this backwater coastal village. The only bright spot Ranma could think of now is that pops said that this would be the final leg of an almost 10 year training voyage.  
  
At least...Ranma thought it might be a bright spot.  
  
The young man was split on that point. Part of him longed for a permanent home, he was tired of leaving friends behind; like Ryoga and his old buddy Ucchan. On the other hand, Ranma wasn't too sure that he would be comfortable with staying in one place for a long period of time. He liked the road; enjoyed the freedom it gave him; never having to worry about those little annoyances that happened to other people. But sometimes, just sometimes when pops wasn't watching, Ranma would look at 'normal' kids his age go about their lives with longing.  
  
"Hello, Ranma." a voice said from behind him.  
  
Turning around in surprise, Ranma looked and saw...Her. Scrambling to his feet Ranma said breathlessly, "Oh, it's you. I...I haven't seen you in a while. Um, what brings you here?"  
  
"You could say that I happened to be in the neighborhood." she said with a humorous gleam in her eye.  
  
"Well, um, it's good to see you again." Ranma stammered slightly as a blush slowly spread across his face.  
  
Surprised at his reaction, she blinked several times before speaking. "Ah, well, um, how has your training going?"  
  
Flashing her his trademark Saotome Grin Ranma replied, "Great! I can beat up pops about 8 out of 10 times now. Pops says that I'm almost done with my training."  
  
"That's good to hear. So what do you plan on doing once you done?"  
  
Caught by surprise by the question, Ranma looked at her with worry and confusion. "Geeze, I don't know. I've never thought too much about it. I guess I'll try to protect those who are weaker than me."  
  
"That's a good thing to do." she smiled, glad that he remembered the lesson she had taught him long ago. "But you should find yourself a goal; a reason to fight. It's not an easy thing to find, however, and you should be comfortable that whatever you decide to fight for is right. No matter how small or large it is, as long as you think you're doing the correct thing you won't be steered wrong."  
  
"I see...I'll have to think about that." Ranma said slowly. Shaking his head to clear his head his thoughts he asked. "By the way, ya never told me your name. I don't know what ta call ya."  
  
With a small smile, she said, "No I haven't, have I." Looking at Ranma for a moment she considered before replying, "You can call me...Setsuna."  
  
"Setsuna..." Ranma said slowly, as if tasting the sound of her name. "It fit's ya."  
  
"Does it now." she said with a small, private, smile.  
  
"Yea, it does." Ranma said as he turned to look out across the ocean, "Ya know what? I want ta thank ya. You've been the only one that I could count on ta talk to and really listen ta me during this trip. I guess...well, I guess I just want ta thank ya." Ranma said with a blush as he turned back around to see nothing.  
  
"Man. I gotta learn how to do that."  
  
**********  
1 year, 6 months ago...  
**********  
  
Ranma sat under a bridge, watching the water flow by. He felt that things couldn't get any worse than they were right now. Not only was he stuck with two fiancées and a girl who thought she was married to him (lets not forget the psycho with the black roses; better yet, lets), he was also cursed to turn into a girl whenever he got splashed with cold water. And to top it all off, after years of thinking that his mother was dead Ranma had just found out that she was alive and well; and would kill him at first sight.  
  
All in all, Ranma thought, his life couldn't be any worse.  
  
"Hello, Ranma. It's been a while." a familiar voice said behind him.  
  
"You!" the pigtailed martial artist shouted as he leapt up and twisted around in midair and landed on his feet in an aggressive stance. "You knew! Didn't you? Didn't You?!  
  
Surprised by the vehemence in Ranma's voice Setsuna stepped back and said carefully, "I knew what?"  
  
"Everything!" Ranma spat, suddenly venting all of his frustration and anger. "You knew about that damn contract, the Neko-ken, Junsenkyo, the fiancées, all the crap I've had ta go through, everything! Didn't you!"  
  
Setsuna lowered her head in shame and said softly, "Yes. Yes I did."  
  
"Why?" Ranma demanded, tears brimming in his eyes. "Why damn it, why? Why did you let it all happen to me?"  
  
"There was nothing I could do." she said painfully.  
  
"Bullshit!" Ranma yell as he casually backhanded a concrete support pillar, shattering it in the processes. "You coulda done something! Anything! Why didn't you!"  
  
"No I couldn't. There was nothing I could have done, nothing at all." she said as tears began to run freely down her face. "Countless eons ago, I was entrusted with the care of a powerful artifact; one that could allow someone to travel through the stream of time itself. I was charged to guard and defend it at all costs. But I was told that I could never interfere with the course of history, lest I rip the fabric of time itself askew. Throughout all those milleniums, there had been only a handful of times I had regretted taking up my duty. The first was as I was forced to watch the great kingdom that I helped to shape and form be crushed and destroyed before my eyes. All the other times were when I was forced to standby and do nothing as I watched your life unfold..."  
  
Watching the anguish and pain that radiated off of the green haired woman, Ranma felt all his anger dissipate. "I-I'm sorry, Suna-chan. I didn't mean ta yell at ya, it's just...sigh. Please don't cry, I'm sorry."  
  
At a loss at what to do, Ranma hesitantly stepped forward and lightly placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. For the next few moments, Setsuna sobbed into Ranma's silk shirt while he held her with a hint of awkwardness. Not that he minded, however. Holding her in his arms like this felt...nice.  
  
Her grief finally running it's course, Setsuna gently pulled herself out of his embrace. "I'm sorry." she said as she wiped her tears from her eyes, "I shouldn't have let myself loose control like that."  
  
"It's alright, Suna-chan." Ranma said, nervously scratching the base of his pigtail. "I mean, you've helped me out before, right? So I'm just returning the favor, ya know?"  
  
Setsuna smiled gratefully then blinked before saying, "I'm sorry Ranma, but what did you call me?"  
  
Looking down at the ground Ranma said with embarrassment, "Uh...Suna-chan. Ya don't mind, do ya?" He asked hopefully.  
  
Setsuna found herself smiling as a warm feeling filled her, "No Ranma, I don't mind. Not at all."  
  
The two stood in awkward silence for several moments before Setsuna finally said, "I had better be going."  
  
"Do ya have to? Er...what I mean to say is I wouldn't mind if, ya know," Ranma stammered as he looked over his shoulder nervously, looking for potential threats or fiancées (which in his book were one in the same). "If ya stayed here, with me, ya know, for a little while."  
  
Looking back at Setsuna, Ranma saw that he was now talking to thin air. "How does she do that?" he said with a small, sad smile before he turned and headed back to the dojo.  
  
**********  
Now...  
  
**********  
  
Ranma lay upon the roof of the Tendo household, gazing at the stars twinkling in the night's sky; trying to make sense of his life. In the past year since the wedding attempt, his life had slowly moved in a downward spiral of frustration and despair.   
  
At first, everything had gone perfectly. Ranma could actually picture himself married to Akane and he thought he'd come to an understanding with Ucchan and Shampoo; but things began to change about a month after the failed wedding. He always knew that the Chef and the Amazon never actually thought of him as a prize to be won; even though they sometimes came across like that. However, it slowly became apparent to the pig-tailed martial artiest that things had changed. It was Akane, to Ranma's total surprise, who began to lord it over the other two girls that she had 'won' Ranma from them. Then things had gone down hill from there.  
  
Akane; who had never been bashful about showing her jealousy; began to get possessive about Ranma and demanded to know where he was and what he was doing whenever he was gone from her sight for long periods of time. She would also taunt Ukyo and Shampoo about how Ranma loved her and only her and would insult them knowing full well that her fiancé would protect her. The two of them in turn would tell Ranma what was happening; although he refused to believe them. Eventually they set Akane up to show him exactly how she was acting behind his back.  
  
To say that Ranma was upset with what he had seen was an understatement. He felt hurt that Akane was acting this way towards two people he felt were his friends. In the ensuing argument, Akane said point blank that she did not trust him at all and he would probably cheat on her the first chance he got. The two fathers didn't help matters that evening as they launched another 'Operation: Get Ranma and Akane Married' when they got home. Akane reverted to her old ways and called him a pervert before slamming the table over his head once again. After a brief fight with the Lost Boy (who happened to find his way to the Tendos' in time to see Akane yell at Ranma) Akane ended up taking Ryoga's side and blamed everything on Ranma (who, while not the picture of eloquence, had given a super human effort to not insult anyone and had actually succeeded in not saying anything offensive).  
  
After that incident, Shampoo and Ukyo had seen how upset Ranma was at Akane and started to press their advantage. The two girls would be nice to Ranma, which in turn would upset Akane who would blame Ranma for 'hitting' on them, which in turn would slowly drive a wedge between the two. The cycle would go on over and over again. Ukyo and, to a lesser extent, Shampoo (only because the Amazons idea of subtlety left much to be desired) had, over time, increased their efforts in breaking Ranma and Akane up.  
  
And they were succeeding.  
  
So here Ranma was, trying to get a handle on his life when someone spoke from behind him.  
  
"Hello, Ranma." A somewhat familiar voice suddenly said from behind him.  
  
Instincts going into over-drive, Ranma pushed himself up off the roof and twisted in mid-air. Landing in a defensive stance, the pig-tailed martial artiest sized up the person who had sneaked up on him without a sound. She was taller than him, carrying a tall key shaped staff with a reddish orb attached to it's top. Ranma felt a slight blush creep onto his face as he saw what she was wearing, or not wearing as the case seemed to be. It appeared to be a schoolgirls fuku, although there wasn't much of it. As for her face, well...the more he tried to focus on her features, the more its they seemed to slip from his mind. But her hair, it was...familiar somehow. Like her voice was.  
  
"Who are ya and what do ya want?" Ranma said, his eyes narrowing slightly.   
  
Holding the staff out to her side at arms length, she let go of it. As soon as it was no longer in her hand it disappeared. Ranma watched in total surprise as her fuku began to flow and change until it became an immaculate black business suit with a very form-fitting jacket.  
  
"Suna-chan?" Ranma said in awe as he relaxed.  
  
Giving him a small smile Setsuna asked, "Tell me, Ranma. Are you doing anything tonight?"  
  
Blushing brightly, Ranma looked down at the roof as he scuffed the tile with a toe. Scratching the back of his head he stammered, "Well, um, I uh, that is, er, I, ah, well I, um..."  
  
With a grin in her eyes Setsuna said, "The reason I was asking, Ranma, is because my friends and I could use some help with a problem we're having."  
  
Loosing all his embarrassment Ranma looked up, "Problem? What sorta problem?"  
  
"My friends and I are currently fighting something that is causing us quite a bit of difficulty."  
  
"A fight? Why are we standing around here for? Let's go!" With that, Ranma took off across the roof.  
  
Setsuna watched Ranma leap off the Tendo roof, only to jump back up. "Um..." Ranma said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Where are they and, um, what do they look like?"  
  
With a small sweat drop on the back of her head, Setsuna reached out and 'grasped' her staff; causing her clothing to change once again into a fuku. "My friends are wearing clothing similar to mine and they are in Juuban; you can't miss the fight."  
  
"Alright." Ranma took off once again, appearing back on the roof less than a second after he left. Once again scratching the base of his pigtail he asked, "Uh, Suna-chan? Which way is Juuban from here?"  
  
"That way." she said, gesturing with her free hand. "Oh, and please call me Sailor Pluto when I'm like this." She said indicating her fuku.  
  
"Got it. Uh, ya need a lift?"  
  
"No, I have my own ways of travel." the Guardian of Time said as she slipped out of the time stream.  
  
Ranma looked at the spot that Pluto had just vacated. He was impressed at her technique; having never actually seen her disappear before. Shaking himself, Ranma took off across the rooftops towards Juuban.  
  
**********  
  
Appearing at the battlefield, Setsuna frowned as she took in the sight before her. In the time it took to talk to Ranma (all of five minutes) the fight had gone from bad to worse. When she had left, their opponent had been pressing the nine Senshi hard; apparently being equipped with some kind of magical resistant armor. By the time she returned he had apparently called in reinforcements. Uranus and Neptune were trying to double-team their opponent; who had identified himself only as Donnelly MacDhu; who was keeping both at bay with a sword that appeared to be made of crystal. Venus was down, being attended by Saturn; who was healing her. Moon, Mars, and Jupiter were facing off against three giant creatures that Pluto recognized as stone golems as Mercury was to one side trying to analyze the enemy.  
  
Pluto watched as Mars fired off a Fire Sniper directly at one of the golems, causing it to stagger back with no visible damage. Pluto began muttering curses under her breath as she realized that the golems were protected by the same magic as Donnelly MacDhu was. Hearing a sudden cry of panic, Pluto launched into action to save her future Queen.  
  
"dead scream." she whispered, sending a concentrated ball of temporal flux slamming into one of the stone creatures, causing it to stagger on it's feet.  
  
"Pluto!" Sailor Moon cried out in thanks as she climbed back to her feet.  
  
"Where've you been and what have you been doing?" Sailor Mars demanded as she and Sailor Jupiter fell back in a defensive position before Moon, to be joined by Mercury, Saturn and a revived Venus.  
  
"What I must." Pluto responded simply as she formed up behind her future Queen.  
  
Mars was about respond angrily to Pluto's comment, but was interrupted as Uranus and Neptune were both thrown back from MacDhu and into her and Jupiter.  
  
"Nothing we're throwing at them is having any effect." Sailor Mercury said with concern in her voice, "Every attack we use seems to slide right off them."  
  
"That's what happens when you fight someone who's resistant to magic." Pluto stated, "But don't worry. Help is on the way."  
  
"Help?" Uranus said angrily as she climbed back to her feet. "We don't need no stinkin' help!"  
  
"I beg to differ." Pluto said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Sailor Moon turned to look at Pluto and asked with curiosity, "What kind of help?"  
  
Giving Sailor Moon an infuriatingly mysterious smile Pluto replied, "You'll see."  
  
**********  
  
Ranma raced across the rooftops of Toyko, feeling more alive that he'd felt in a long time. His pulse was racing as his mind was awhirl with possible strategies he could employ. Ranma lived for situations like this; heading into a fight without knowing what to expect, knowing he might be forced to push himself to his limits and beyond. He hadn't felt like this for a long time. Not since Saffron.  
  
Besides, She had asked for his help.  
  
So Ranma ran, being careful not to push himself too hard so he would be ready to go into action the moment he arrived. Entering the Juuban district, he began to senses...something. It wasn't ki; his ability to sense and manipulate ki had grown by leaps and bounds since Saffron; but something big was definitely happening nearby. Changing his course, Ranma headed towards the disturbance he felt.  
  
Arriving at a park, Ranma saw what Setsuna...er, that is to say, Sailor Pluto was talking about. He saw three giant rock creatures apparently being controlled by some Kuno wannabe. They were facing off against a bunch of girls dressed in almost nothing; and the girls were being pressed hard. He saw one of the girls, this one with long flowing blond hair tied back with a red ribbon, fall before one of the rock things; who reached back with its fist to slam her into the ground.  
  
All of his senses kicking into overdrive Ranma raced into action as he appeared to disappear from sight. Everything seemed to slow down for the pigtailed martial artist as the distance shrank between him and the fallen girl.  
  
Sailor Moon could only cry out in horror as she saw one of her friends fall before one of the golems. Her cry was cut short, however, as something seemed to flicker into view above her companion a moment before the golems' fist smashed into the ground.  
  
"A cute girl like you needs ta be more careful, ya know?" a males' voice said from the side.  
  
Moon's cry of 'Tuxedo Kamen' ended before it began as she saw the speaker. He landed lightly on his feat, cradling Sailor Venus in his arms. He was of medium height and had a rakish grin on his handsome face. With long black hair tied back in a pigtail and bright crystal blue eyes, he cut a handsome figure in his red Chinese silk shirt and black kung-fu style pants. Did she mention he was handsome?  
  
He set Venus down onto her feet; or tried to, at least. "Um, it's alright now. Ya can let go of me."  
  
Venus held onto him for a few moments before what he said sunk in. "Oh, ok." she replied, letting go of him with regret.  
  
Walking forward to place himself between the Senshi and the golems he said, "These guys don't seem too tough."  
  
"I'd like to see you do better." Uranus spat angrily at the newcomer.  
  
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Sailor Moon saw his grin grow wider as his blue eyes flashed. "Well, if ya want me to."  
  
"I'm sensing something strange about him." Mars muttered softly.  
  
"Nice of you to make it, Ranma." Pluto said with a small hint of a smile in her voice, "The stone golems before you are creatures of magic. They don't think or feel. They are aren't alive."  
  
"Ya don't say." Ranma said slowly as he appraised the golems before him. "Stone, huh? Too bad P-chan ain't here right now, he'd be perfect for dealing with them." he paused and cocked his head to one side as if listening for something before he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, one could only hope. Ya know what?" he said as Moon could feel his grin become wider still even though his back was to her, "I got this move I've always wanted ta cut loose with, but I ain't never had someone I could safely use it on."  
  
With that, Ranma brought his arms down to his sides, then quickly brought them up and across his chest with a cry of "Kijin Raishuu-dan!"  
  
All the Senshi, save Pluto, watched in awe as two of the three stone golems were shattered into pieces; along with a row of trees over 20 meters behind them.  
  
"Oops." Ranma said as he scratched the back of his head with one hand as he fanned the cloud of dust away from his face with the other, "I guess I shouldn't use the Yamasenken at full power. Oh well, I'll just have ta take care of this last one the old fashion way."  
  
Ranma cracked his knuckles before he launched himself at the remaining golem. It took a swing at Ranma, which seemed pitifully slow to him. Coming up underneath the large fist Ranma slammed his left elbow into it's chest, then followed up with a palm strike with his right hand; both creating large spider web cracks in the stone. Ranma then leaped straight up and delivered a snap kick with his right leg to it's 'chin'; then, using his upward momentum, he spun around and landed a roundhouse kick to the side of it's head, causing it to break off from it's 'neck' and sail a good distance away.   
  
The headless golem fell down onto the ground with a loud crash. Ranma landed lightly on its back, looking at the amazed Senshi. "How's that?" he asked, looking at the shorthaired blonde.  
  
"Foolish mortal! How dare you challenge the might of Donnelly MacDhu; Duke of the UnSeleighe! I shall crush your bones and dance on your grave! I will show you horrors beyond your ken before I slowly squeeze the life from you! I will...  
Hey! Stop ignoring me!"  
  
Ranma looked back at MacDhu, trying to stifle a large yawn. "I'm sorry." he said apologetically, "It's just you bad guys all say the same thing. Do ya all use the same speechwriters or sumthin'?"  
  
One of the girls behind Ranma, the blond with the really strange pony-tails, giggled at his comment as he watched the Kuno wannabe fume for a moment before calming himself and bringing his crystal sword up into a ready position. "Very well, mortal. Let us see how you fair against my blade."  
  
Ranma jumped off the golem and landed several feet before MacDhu, bending backwards at an impossible angle to avoid a sword thrust. Coming back upright, Ranma threw a short combination of punches and kicks; all of which were blocked by the crystal sword. Ranma leaped over MacDhu and came down behind him with a shot to the kidneys.   
  
That was the only 'clean' hit Ranma got for the next several minutes as the two danced and weaved around each other. 'Man, this guy ain't no Kuno, that's for sure.' Ranma thought to himself as he dodged a sword stroke with only a hairs' length to spare, 'He's real good. Almost too good...'  
  
Out of curiosity, Ranma threw a lazy right cross at MacDhu and watched him once again bring his sword up to block. Before the blow connected, however, Ranma threw a quick rabbit punch with his left hand and saw the sword move quickly to block the real attack. The pigtailed martial artiest narrowed his eyes as he realized the sword had moved too quickly.  
  
Disengaging himself from his opponent, Ranma leaped backwards several feet. "Man, that's some sword technique there."   
  
Nodding his head slightly MacDhu said, "And you are quite skilled yourself. For a mortal."  
  
"Huh? Oh, I wasn't talkin' about you. I was talkin' about that sword of yours. Probably one of the best magic swords I've come across in a while." Ranma said flippantly.  
  
"How dare you speak to me like that, you worm!"  
  
"In that case," Ranma replied with a grin, "lets see how good ya are without that trick sword of yours."  
  
To the watching Senshi, save Pluto and Mercury (who had been observing the entire battle with the aid of the Mercury Computer and her visor), Ranma jumped forward and yelled "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri" and threw ten slow punches. To their shock, with the tenth punch the crystal sword shattered and MacDhu went flying backwards.  
  
"No way!" Mars exclaimed, "How did he do that with only ten punches?"  
  
"Not ten." Mercury said slowly, finding it hard to believe the information her Computer and visor was showing her; "He did it with 927 punches. Not to mention the 49 hits to the chest and 28 to the face."  
  
"You're joking, right?" Jupiter asked with disbelief.  
  
"Her count is accurate." Pluto responded with a slightly smug tone of voice.  
  
Ranma was breathing heavily and perspiration beaded his brow. He had never kept up the Amaguri for that long before and was worried that he wasn't going to be able to pull it off. He absently noticed a stinging sensation on his cheek and he knew his hand and knuckles were a bloody mess.  
  
And he was loving every minute of it.  
  
"Curse you!" MacDhu spat from a kneeling position, clutching his ribs with one arm and holding his smashed nose with his free hand. "You will rue this day, worm! Donnelly MacDhu will not soon forget what you've done and I shall make you pay!"  
  
"Oh really? Well..." Ranma began to say; only to see MacDhu quickly sink into the shadows and disappear. Feeling he had to say something besides his planned retort, Ranma said the first thing that came to mind, "Yo' Momma!"  
  
Ranma turned around to face the girls to say something. But before he could speak, the blonde with the two long ponytails rushed up and began to speak; almost too fast for Ranma to understand. "Thatwassocool! Howdidyoudothat? Canyouteachmehow? Thatwasgreat! Thankyouforsavingus! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"  
  
"It was no big thing; I've faced tougher guys before. Say, what're ya suppose to be, anyway? The School Girl Defenders or something?"  
  
The other girls, including Pluto, gave Ranma dirty looks as the one before him opened her mouth wide in surprise. "You haven't heard of us? Well we are," she said as she went through a series of funny looking poses, "The defenders of Truth and Love! We are the righters of wrongs! We are the bane of bad guys everywhere! We are the Sailor Senshi! And I am none other than Sailor Moon!"  
  
"And I'm yours..." the blonde with the red ribbon in her hair breathed loudly, causing the other Senshi to back away from her slowly. "Uh, I said that out loud didn't I?"  
  
"Here. Let me help you." the Senshi with short dark hair and the kick ass naginata said quietly as she walked up and gently took hold of Ranma's right hand.  
  
"Wha?" Ranma said as a warm sensation filled him and the stinging on his face and hand faded away. He watched as the bleeding gashes on his knuckles faded away to nothingness. "How ya do that?" he said with wonder as he flexed his hand to make sure everything was working right.  
  
"I've always been able to heal others." the girl looked down at her feet in abashment.  
  
"Cool! I wish I could do something like that." Ranma was about to say more; seeing as how his words were brightening the girls' face; but a sudden frown creased his face.   
  
Carefully rolling a piece of stone from the rock littered ground onto his foot, Ranma snapped it up into the air. With his right hand he caught it and sent it flying into the trees in one smooth motion as the Senshi watched it's flight.  
  
^Thud^ ^Crash^  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Several of the girls cried out as Moon ran to the fallen figure.  
  
"How could you do that!" Moon exclaimed, near tears, as she cradled the head of the unconscious Tuxedo Kamen in her lap.  
  
"Well, what was I suppose to do?" Ranma replied to the accusation in several of the girls' eyes, "I mean, someone lurking around after a fight can't be up to no good. Besides, what kind of weenie hangs around on the sidelines and does nothing when a bunch of cute girls are fighting. I mean, look at what he's wearing! He was probably waiting to jump in with some stupid speech about never giving up before disappearing again. He can't be much of a man, ya know."   
  
The temperature seemed to drop as Moon and three of the girls gave him nasty looks (the one with the red ribbon, however, was still looking at him with hearts in her eyes). The whole effect was ruined, though, by the girl with the short blond hair who was trying her best to not laugh her ass off; and failing miserably.  
  
Ranma suddenly reached out with his arm and caught something. Looking at the direction of the throw, he saw that Pluto had her arm extended in a tossing motion. He then glanced over and saw he now held an umbrella. Frowning for a moment, he looked up at the sky and saw storm clouds.  
  
"Thanks." Ranma said as he snapped open the umbrella and raised it above his head just as a light sprinkle began.  
  
"No, Ranma. Thank you." Pluto said gratefully. "You'd better get going now. It's almost dinner time."  
  
"Dinner!" Ranma exclaimed; thinking of Kasumi's cooking. "Thanks Pu-chan! Just let me know when ya need more help."  
  
The Senshi watched Ranma quickly disappear from the park before they all turned to look at the Guardian of Time with only one thought on their minds.  
  
"PU-CHAN?!?"  
  
**********  
To be Continued...  
(2/1/3)  
**********  
Author's Notes:  
I'd like to thank everyone who's sent me feedback about DKA.  
  
And a special thanks to Thermopyle for his advice for making  
several of the above scenes flow better.  
  
Thanks, Therm!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Dark King Ascending  
a Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic  
by SoftRogue  
whiteb100@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer:  
I do not own any of the characters mentioned here.  
If I did, I'd have lots of money. But I don't.  
  
**********  
Chapter 2  
**********  
  
The tension around the table was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife (or something else really dull, like Kuno's wit). Ranma had disappeared over two hours ago without a trace. While it's true he'd disappeared before it was usually accompanied by loud noises signifying that yet another of Ranma's rivals or fiancées had arrived. But this was different, this was unusual, this was unsettling even.  
  
Because Kasumi had cooked dinner.  
  
Never before had Ranma missed the start of one of Kasumi's meals whenever he was staying at the dojo. In fact, the residents of Nerima could set there clocks by when Kasumi served dinner; Ranma had regularly ended fights prematurely (in other words; he had kept the taunts to a minimum and simply waded into the fight to finish it quickly) and raced back to the Tendos' in order to make it back in time for dinner to be served.  
  
But that was over an hour ago.  
  
Nabiki watched the others around the table with a mix of humor and slight concern. Kasumi, dear patient and caring Kasumi, had simply kept the food warm and waited. Genma kept trying to open the warmers to steal food, but was kept in check by Nodoka and her sword. Soun was currently in the processes of rehydrating himself after balling his eyes out about some nonsense about Ranma running away to join the circus (or something like that; Nabiki learned long ago how to tune her father out).  
  
The real show, however, was watching Akane's face.  
  
For the past two hours, Akane's face had gone from outrage to indifference. Indifference to denial. Denial to concern. Concern to worry. And then worry back to outrage. Part of Nabiki was hoping that Ranma wouldn't be showing up anytime soon, just to see how long Akane could keep her emotions bottled up before she went on a rampage and went after the usual suspects (Ukyo and Shampoo). Another part of Nabiki wished Ranma would show up so she could see what Akane would say and do to him to vent her frustration.   
  
Some popcorn would be good too.  
  
But another part of Nabiki; a small part, mind you; was just a little bit worried. While she couldn't deny that she liked the big lug (not that she would admit it to anyone); she thought she had a handle on what was going to happen to him and when. The fact he disappeared with out any foreknowledge on her part concerned her. Nabiki prided herself on knowing on what was going on in the aquatranssexual martial artist's life, usually because no one else knew what was happening (not even Ranma).  
  
Mt. Akane was about to blow when Nabiki heard an odd noise coming from outside. Looking around, she saw she wasn't the only one who noticed it. Finally looking out the open patio door, she found the source of the sound.   
  
To her utter disbelief, Ranma was slowly walked atop the retaining wall around Tendo household holding an umbrella against the slight rainfall. Not only that, he was whistling a cheerful tune off key. As he moved along the wall as if without a care in the world, Nabiki was completely stunned. She had seen Ranma display all sorts of emotions during his two years stay in Nerima, but she had never seen him like this. He looked so happy and content with life.  
  
Ranma dropped off the wall casually and aimlessly strolled over to the patio door. Stepping inside, he carefully shook out and closed the umbrella. He looked around the table before he turned to Kasumi.  
  
"Ah, geeze. I'm sorry, Kasumi. Ya didn't have ta wait for me."  
  
Startled by Ranma's apology, the eldest Tendo sister blinked and said, "Oh, it was no problem, Ranma-kun."  
  
"How dare you make me wait for you to show up for dinner boy!" Genma bellowed as he jumped to his feet.  
  
Everyone paused and looked at Genma as they all sweat dropped. "Yea, whatever Pops." Ranma said as he took his seat at the table.  
  
As the food began to be passed around the table, it was apparent to Nabiki that Ranma's flippant attitude had thrown Akane for a loop. After everyone had been served, Akane finally asked in a low voice, "Where were you, Ranma?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Akane. What was that?" Ranma asked as he picked up a pickle of off his plate.  
  
"I said...Where Were You?" she growled, her face slowly going red with anger.  
  
"Oh." Ranma said as he plopped the pickle into his mouth, "I went over to Juuban ta help a bunch of cute girls in really short skirts."  
  
The only sound that could be heard in the Tendo household was Ranma munching away on his pickle. "Man Kasumi, these pickles are great! Are they a new recipe?"  
  
Ranma's offhand comment set off a torrent of words from most of the other occupants in room.  
  
"My son is so Manly!"  
  
"WHAT!?!"  
  
"Why yes they are. I'm glad you like them."  
  
"WAAAA!!! Now our families will never be joined!!!"  
  
"RANMA! How Dare You Cheat On Your Fiancée!?!"  
  
"Huh? What's all the fuss about?" Ranma asked as he looked up from his plate curiously.  
  
"Ranma." Nabiki said carefully after everyone stopped and stared at the pigtailed boy, "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"Sure. Why, what's wrong?"  
  
Pausing for a moment before continuing, Nabiki said. "Would you mind repeating what you just said?"  
  
"Oh, I said that I went over to Juuban to help a bunch of cute girls in really short skirts. Man, it was a good thing Ryoga wasn't there or he would've died from blood loss."  
  
Before anyone else was able to say anything (or do anything) to Ranma, Kasumi said, "Juuban? Oh, you must be talking about the Sailor Senshi, right?"  
  
"Yea, that's them. How come you know about them? I ain't never heard of them before."  
  
By this time, the 'adults' were off in there own world. So they missed it as Kasumi looked down and adjusted the hem of her apron and blushed. "Everyone's heard of the Sailor Senshi, they're famous throughout Japan. And...well, I've always been a big fan..."  
  
"Let me get this straight." Akane demanded as an eyebrow began to twitch, "The Sailor Senshi, a bunch of super-heroines, came here and asked for your help. You of all people?"  
  
"Well, one of them did, yea." Ranma said as he looked directly at Akane.  
  
Nabiki could practically hear Akane blow a fuse. Looking closely at Ranma's face, she could see he was telling the truth. "Now why in the world would the Sailor Senshi; a group of super powered magical girls; ask for you for help?" she asked.  
  
"Cause they needed it. After all, I'm the best there is."  
  
"Be careful, Ranma, your ego is showing."  
  
"Huh? It is? Where?" Ranma asked as he checked his pants and patted down the front of his shirt.  
  
'OK...This is the real Ranma.' Nabiki thought to herself, watching the pigtailed boy with a critical eye, 'Now...what isn't he telling me.' "So Ranma, your telling me that the Sailor Senshi jut showed up and asked you for your help?"  
  
"Well...one of them did, yea." Ranma answered, starting to look a little nervous.  
  
"And this Senshi just came up to you, out of the blue, to ask for your help? And you've never even knew who they were until tonight, correct?"  
  
"Uh, exactly." Ranma said, starting to sweat slightly, "Oh, look. I'm done. Don't worry, Kasumi, I'll take care of my dishes. Man I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed early tonight. Well, good night!"  
  
'Gotcha!' Nabiki thought as she smirked at Ranma's retreating back. 'Your hiding something. Now...what to do about it?' Her plans were slightly sidetracked as she noticed the condition of the others around the dinner table. 'Sigh But first, it looks like I'll have to 'fix' my family.'  
  
**********  
  
Throughout history, many a plan had been hatched behind closed doors. For the most part, these plans were insidious in nature. Whole nations had been overthrown by plans created in 'starlight chambers'. A plan had just been fabricated that was no less determined than those other plans, if not as diabolical in nature.  
  
"She's late." Rei Hino said as she paced around the shrine.  
  
"She said she would be here, so she'll be here." Haruka Ten'oh replied from the cushions she and her lover were resting on.  
  
"Come on!" Rei voiced angrily. "Even dumpling head over there was on time!"  
  
"Umph!" Usagi Tsukino said, her mouth stuffed with a blueberry muffin. "Gulp Yea! I mean; Rei, that's mean!"  
  
Ignoring Usagi, Rei looked at the other people gathered in the shrine. "You all remember the plan, Right?"  
  
"Yes we do." Michiru Kaiou said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the shrine maiden.  
  
"We don't let up on the questions until Setsuna tells us all about this Ranma guy!" Makoto Kino said with enthusiasm.  
  
"Yea! Like is he available!" Minako Aino voiced with a determined look in her eye.  
  
"Exactly!" Makoto replied.  
  
"Perhaps we should just start without her." Ami Mizuno said softly, knowing exactly what her fellow Senshi were thinking.  
  
"You have something to tell us about last night?" Rei asked the blue haired girl.  
  
"Indeed." Ami said as she opened the Mercury Computer, "Donnelly MacDhu repeatedly identified himself as a member of something called the 'UnSeleighe'. By cross referencing that information online I came across several references in Western Mythology; specifically from Celtic and Gaelic Mythology."  
  
"Huh?" Usagi said for the rest of the Scouts.  
  
"Irish Legends." Ami clarified. "According to those legends, there were a variety of mythological creatures somewhat similar to our own kitsune and water kappa. The most powerful of these were known as the Sidhe; also referred to as Elves."  
  
"You mean like Beelzebub's little helpers?" Minako interjected.  
  
Pausing for a moment, Ami opened and closed her mouth for several times before saying "No. Not like Santa's little helpers. These Elves were also sometimes referred as 'The Fair Folk'. They were tall and beautiful; impossibly so; and were immortal. Perhaps the most famous of the Sidhe was Lord Oberon."  
  
"Like from Shakespeare's 'A Mid-Summers Night's Dream'?" Michiru asked with curiosity.  
  
"Exactly. Besides the Sidhe there were a variety of other creatures. Overall, their demeanor would range from curious and mischievous to cruel or down right vicious. These creatures were aliened into two sides, the 'Seleighe' and 'UnSeleighe' Courts. The Seleighe Court for the most part apparently wished to have little to do with humankind while the UnSeleighe Court would like nothing better than to eradicate humankind completely. From my research, the Sidhe were very powerful and used magic as easly as we breathed."  
  
"Well, they obviously exist." Rei pointed out, "So if they are so powerful, what happened to them?"  
  
"They went Underhill." A voice said from behind the priestess.  
  
"GAH! Don't DO That!" Rei said as she jumped up and around to face Setsuna.  
  
"About time she did that to someone else besides me." Usagi muttered loudly.  
  
"What's 'underhill', Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru Tomoe asked quietly; speaking for the first time.  
  
Gesturing for Rei to sit down, Setsuna took her own seat and began to talk. "Underhill is difficult to explain. The closest, and easiest, description is that is a side-real dimension that exists outside of the space/time continuum."  
  
"That's the easiest?" Usagi asked perplexed.  
  
"Is that even possible?" Ami asked the red eyed woman seriously. "I mean, I know that Einstein postulated the existence of such. But to find actual proof that such a place exists..."  
  
"Excuse me." Makoto said raising her hand for attention, "But for those of us who aren't geniuses...what the heck are you talking about?"  
  
"Well..." the blue haired girl paused to consider how to proceed, "Imagine for a moment you had a piece of three layered cake laying on its side."  
  
"Can it be chocolate cake?" Usagi asked enthusiastically.  
  
"Yes it can." Ami said with a small smile.  
  
"With chocolate frosting?" the blond ponytailed girl asked with her eyes beginning to glaze over.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"And sprinkles and vanilla ice cream?"  
  
"Not yet." Ami answered, trying her best to hide her grin at her friend's sudden disappointment. "Now, imagine that the center layer is our plane of existence. The other two layers are different planes of existences; for example, the Negaverse would be one of the layers. The three layers all connected together by the frosting. Theoretically, there are an infinite number of different planes or layers. Now, add a scoop ice cream to the top of the cake."  
  
"Ok." Usagi said quietly with a hint of drool, to the amazement of the other Senshi who were watching their future Queen actually pay attention to a lesson.  
  
Continuing with her explanation Ami said, "Now then, the ice cream. It is not part of the cake of itself, but it's touching all the layers. That, in a nutshell, is what Setsuna is referring to when she says that Underhill is a side-real dimension that exists outside of the space/time continuum. Do you understand now?"  
  
Nodding her head vigorously, Usagi said "Yea, it's simple when you explain it like that. It's part of the universe but at the same time it's not. And since the ice cream is not part of the cake; I mean that since Underhill is not part of the normal universe; that's why Setsuna wasn't able to warn us about this attack since it's originating from outside of normal time."  
  
The rest of the girls were feeling a mix of shock and awe. Shock at the thought that Usagi was able to not only grasp a complex concept but to also expand on it. Awe at the fact that Ami was able to explain it in such a way that Usagi was able to understand it at all. At least until...  
  
^Gurgle^ "Sorry. All this talk of cake is making me hungry." Their leader apologized as she reached for several of the awaiting muffins.  
  
"You know," Ami mused as she looked at Setsuna, "I've always believed that the Gates of Time existed in such a place..."  
  
"No. The gate exists elsewhen."  
  
Not wanting the discussion to become a dissertation on the theories of quantum mechanics, Haruka interjected "So, if these Elves or whatever are so powerful; what happened to them?"  
  
"'Cold Iron'." Setsuna explained, "Also known as steel. To one of the Sidhe its' mere touch acts like an acidic poison. With the advent of steel, they were slowly forced farther and farther away from their lands here in our world until they finally retreated Underhill; where they're safe from that metal. Unfortunately, as time progressed, the process of steel manufacturing has changed and in some cases has been replaced with different alloys."  
  
"What do you mean, Setsuna-mama? Isn't steel steel?"  
  
"No. Not only has the process of steel been changed over time to make it stronger and lighter, the way it was forged has changed as well. Nowadays, impersonal machines create it. In the past, however, it was literally crafted by blacksmiths. They would pour their hearts and souls into the crafting of the steel. Without that personal touch it seems that 'Cold Iron' has lost it's effect."  
  
"So how are we suppose to fight these Elves if we've got nothing to beat them with? Especially if they can shrug off our attacks so easly?" Rei demanded.  
  
"Well, after analyzing the data from the battle last night, I have good news and bad news." Ami answered as she consulted the Mercury Computer, "The good news is that magical artifacts; such as the Space Sword, Silence Glaive, and the Time Staff; should be effective against such creatures. Also, as it became obvious last night, they are affective by physical damage. The bad news is that, unfortunately, the creatures are evidently use to physical confrontation and, well, lets face it, besides Makoto, Haruka and; to a lesser extent; Rei, the rest of us do not have the training to effectively fight hand-to-hand in a protracted situation."  
  
"So, next time we see them, we just kick their ass. Literally." Makoto said as she smacked a fist into her palm.  
  
"Exactly." Setsuna said as she rose to her feet. "Well then, if there's nothing else..."  
  
"Hold it right there." Rei said angrily, "You have some explaining to do about last night."  
  
"Yea. Who was he?"  
  
"How do you know him?"  
  
"How did he do all that stuff?"  
  
"Was he reincarnated from the Silver Millenium?"  
  
"Is he available?"  
  
"What's his number?"  
  
Everyone paused to look at Minako and Makoto before they rolled their eyes. "And how come he hasn't helped us before." Usagi added, looking at Setsuna pleadingly, "Please, Setsuna, tell us."  
  
Setsuna looked around the room for a moment. "Very well." she finally said as she sat back down.  
  
Folding her hands in her lap, the green haired woman closed her eyes in thought. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and began to speak. "To the best of my knowledge, Ranma is not reincarnated from any other soul." she paused to mutter something under her breath before saying, "As to why I've never asked him for his help previously, simply put his aid was never needed before."  
  
"Excuse me?" Rei asked, "'His aid was never needed before.'? We could have used his help countless times! You saw how powerful he is!"  
  
"Well...actually from my data, he is not that powerful at all." Ami commented.  
  
"Not that powerful?" Makoto questioned, "He shattered two of those golem things with one blow and threw over a thousand punches in a few seconds."  
  
"My scans show that he is about as powerful as we were right after Luna gave us our first Henshin Pens. Besides that; and a slight trace of an unidentified magic; this Ranma person apparently was able to perform those maneuvers on pure skill alone."  
  
"Ki." Rei blurted out.  
  
"What?" Makoto asked.  
  
"That must have been what I was sensing last night. Ki is a person's life force; it's what I use for my fire readings. But to be able to generate enough Ki to do what he did is unheard of."  
  
"So how did he get so good?" Michiru asked cursorily.  
  
"Since the moment Ranma first began to walk, his training began. At age five, he was taken from home to spend the next ten years or so training from the moment he got up to the moment he went to sleep without any rest. And for the past two years he has been almost constantly challenged by adversaries who were either equal to or even greater in skill and power than he is."  
  
"Wow." Minako breathed, off in her own world.  
  
Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Haruka asked "So, you just happened to know him and just happened to go fetch him at the moment we just happened to need him? I don't buy it, there's something you're not telling us."  
  
Looking around with her red eyes, Setsuna said simply "He was my Ace."  
  
Seeing the blank looks on the other girl's faces, she clarified. "Since Artemis and Luna began their search for Usagi, the most probable future led to Crystal Tokyo. However, the future is not set in stone. There exist junctures, crossroads if you will, that could have effected that outcome. The major ones you all know, such as the fights against Pharaoh 90 and Beryl. There were, however, also minor crossroads; and it was against such a turning point that I would have asked for Ranma's assistance if things turned out differently. Now, if you would excuse me, there are things I must attend to." Rising to her feet, Setsuna reached out and grabbed a hold of the Time Staff and disappeared.  
  
Usagi looked at the place Setsuna had just stood deep in thought. She had questions that she wanted to ask the older woman, but she also knew they wouldn't be easly answered. Like why Setsuna had tried to avoid the subject of Ranma? And what had she muttered before? And why she hadn't mentioned specifically what event she was apparently holding him in reserve for? And Usagi was determined to get her answers.  
  
"Hey, dumpling head. Aren't you paying attention? Do you want to go get some ice cream?"  
  
But first, there were more important things to consider.  
  
"Yay! Ice cream!"  
  
**********  
  
Newton's Law states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. This is a fact that's been proven over and over again. In fact, currently on the highways of Tokyo this fact was being demonstrated once again.  
  
"So, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Haruka said as she cut the steering wheel of her car to the left and right, dodging and weaving in and out of traffic.  
  
"Well," Michiru replied after a moment's thought, "Since Hotaru went with the others for ice cream, she won't be home until later this evening. So once we get home I'll put on the French Maid outfit and you get the brandy, whip cream and bananas."  
  
Haruka's mouth hung wide open and her head was cocked to one side; causing her to avoid four bicycles, two cars and a group of pedestrians by two feet (she would have normally been at least a foot closer).   
  
"Well, I'm thinking that now." The blonde finally stated, "But that isn't what I was thinking about a moment ago."  
  
"Oh. Then in that case, you were thinking about what Setsuna said."  
  
"Exactly. She was lying to us."  
  
"No. She just wasn't telling us the whole truth, that's all."  
  
"So, what are we going to do about it?"  
  
"Well, first thing we need to do is find out everything we can about this Ranma person. And not the kind of information Makoto and Minako want to know."  
  
"I guess I can look up Ritsuko."  
  
The aquamarine haired girl looked closely at her lover. "And who is this Ritsuko person?"  
  
"Oh, Rit-chan is an old friend of mine. She's always been in the know about what's going on. And she's pretty cute too."  
  
"I see." Michiru replied frostily.  
  
"What's wrong?" Haruka asked, hearing the change of tone in Michiru's voice.  
  
"If you don't know, it doesn't matter."  
  
"Oh, ok. Anyway, did you want me to get some cherries as well?"  
  
"Never mind about that." Michiru said as she turned to look out her window, "I suddenly have a headache."  
  
"What did I do? What did I do?"  
  
**********  
To be Continued...  
  
(2/1/3) 


	3. Chapter 3

Dark King Ascending  
a Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic  
by SoftRogue  
whiteb100@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer:  
There mine! I was the one who created them!  
I own then! Those hacks stole my ideas!   
I'll sue! I swear I will!!  
  
Oh...by the way, you don't happen to have  
a straightjacket that's a little looser, do you?  
This one chafes.  
  
**********  
Chapter 3  
**********  
  
Sunrise. That sweet blessed event that banishes darkness from the land. 'Tis when the birds begin to sing and the flowers open there petals to greet the suns warming rays. Life once again returns to the land as the sun begins its endless trek across the heavens. Everyone, on one level or another, cannot help but greet the days awaking with a special...verve.  
  
Everyone, that is, except one.  
  
Awaking slowly, Ranma Saotome; heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts Saotome Ryu; knew there was something wrong. His finely honed senses were screaming at him, telling him that there was something not right about the situation he was in. Coming awake fully; yet still feigning sleep; he took in his surroundings with all of the senses at his disposal.   
  
Was he currently flying threw the air on a crash course with the koi pond? No. In fact he was still in his bedroll with the covers pulled up to his chin. Was he just soaked with cold water to end up at the mercy of the one who drenched him? No. He was still a guy and he couldn't feel the presence of any old perverts or angry uncute tomboys in the room. Did one of his fiancées sneak into his room last night in order to be 'closer' to him? No. He didn't feel the presence of Amazon, Chef, or insane Gymnast pressed against his body. Was he about to be attacked by one of his many rivals who thought the easiest way to strike at him was in his sleep? No. In fact, there was no one else in the room whatsoever, not even the Panda.  
  
"What the heck is going on?" Ranma said groggily as he sat up and looked around the empty room.  
  
His eyes roamed around the room until they finally rested on a single object sitting on the dresser. He looked at it in confusion for a moment as he tried to figure out what it was about the object that attracted his focus. Finally, his brain kicked in and he realized what it was about the object that had grabbed his attention.  
  
"Oh, no! I'm going to be late for school!"  
  
Sparing one last glance at the clock, Ranma leapt out of his bedroll and raced for the bathroom. Making sure the 'Occupied' sign wasn't up, he grabbed it and put it on the door before practically diving in to the awaiting water and began cleaning up. Not that he WANTED to go to school, mind you, it's just his mom would be disappointed in him if he didn't get there on time. And he didn't want to disappoint her, oh no; not when she started to finger that katana of hers.  
  
As he was drying himself off, Ranma couldn't figure out why nobody had woke him up. Usually, Pops would throw him out the window in order to 'toughen him up' before they began to spar. If not Pops then Akane would've thrown a bucket of cold water at him to wake him up before yelling at him. At the very least, Kasumi or Mom should've gotten him up.  
  
Shrugging to himself, Ranma dressed and left the bathroom and headed out in search of breakfast. If it were important, he'd find out about it later...usually when it blew up in his face. Just par for course here at the Tendo Dojo.  
  
Arriving at the table Ranma saw Akane sitting there, eating her rice with a bewildered expression on her face. He was about to ask what was wrong with her, but changed his mind and decided to enjoy a peaceful meal for once. Accepting a bowl from an unusually quiet Kasumi, he also saw that neither Pops or Mr. Tendo were around; but just shrugged it off figuring they were either hiding from Happosai or planing another stupid way to 'join the families'. Nabiki wasn't there either, but Ranma just chalked it up to her business at school. Mom wasn't around and that concerned him slightly (did she leave again but didn't tell him?) but for the life of him he couldn't figure out his mother sometimes so he just let it pass for now.  
  
What did concern him, however, was the fact that breakfast wasn't up to its normal levels of shear perfection. Everything was off somehow; he could taste it in everything he ate; but couldn't say exactly what was wrong. Since he wasn't clutching his stomach in pain he knew that Akane hadn't made breakfast like she's done to...er, for him in the past. Those thoughts were pushed aside, however, as Akane rose from the table and he realized that it was time to go. He was about to follow Akane out the door when a hesitant voice stopped him is his tracks.   
  
"Ranma-kun?" he heard Kasumi say.  
  
"Whatsup, Kasumi?"  
  
"Well...you see...I was wondering...well..." the eldest Tendou daughter said uncertainly.  
  
Ranma's thought process was quite simple, you see. Kasumi not acting like her normal self + food made by Kasumi that wasn't five star quality = Kasumi is sick and/or dying.  
  
Ranma was instantly by her side, worry and concern on his face and in his voice. "Are ya ok? You're not hurt or sick are ya? Akane didn't make you eat anything she made, did she? Ya don't need ta see a Doctor, do ya?"  
  
"No, no, I'm fine. It's just...well...I was wondering if you could..."  
  
"Yes? Yes?" Ranma said intently, knowing he would try to move heaven and earth for Kasumi if it would get her to start making food like she normally does.  
  
"Well...if you could..." Kasumi paused to take a deep breath, "the next time you see the Sailor Senshi, could you get an autograph from them? Please?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"Yea...sure, I guess." Ranma said with confusion, not seeing what the big deal was about a bunch of girls in short skirts...well, except for Setsuna; but she was a special case.  
  
"Oh thank you, Ranma-kun!" Kasumi said excitedly as she hugged him briefly before taking off through the house with a spring in her step.  
  
Ranma watched Kasumi leave the room, trying to figure out why such a simple 'yes' could make her so happy. Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma left the house and poured on the speed in order to make it to school on time.  
  
Unbeknownst to Ranma, two events were taking place at the Dojo as he was leaving. Neither one, however, would surprise anyone who was familiar with the on going train wreck that was called 'Ranma's Life'.  
  
"We have a problem, Saotome." Soun said with a serious expression on his face as he shifted slightly to get more comfortable.  
  
"Indeed we do, Tendo my friend." Genma replied as he twisted and turned in the cramped space.  
  
Apparently using some semblance of intelligence, the two students of Happosai decided that they needed privacy for their talk. Unfortunately, there was no way Genma would go into the Dojo itself, especially not right now. So the two crawled underneath the house for their talk. Soun had no problems, and in fact had been here before the last time the hot water when out. He cried for over an hour when Kasumi frowned slightly at him before he finally gave in and did the repairs.  
  
Genma, however, was having difficulty. He had problems squeezing his enormously muscled frame under the floorboards. (Well, he thought of that way. Everyone else would just say his fat ass (and everything else) was getting in the way.) But he endured. After all, wasn't his...er, that is to say, the Ryu's future at stake? Fortunately, there were several well-worn paths across the ground. He could understand the yellow and black bandana next to his left knee (after all, that Ryoga boy could get lost at a drop of a hat), but what the heck was a doll made of straw doing down here?  
  
"The Sailor Senshi." Soun stated simply.  
  
"Yes." Genma replied. "Powerful woman known for their beauty."  
  
"How could my Akane hope to compete against the strength and beauty all nine?!" Soun said on the verge of tears (no big surprise there). "If it were just one or two of them I know they wouldn't be any threat to my little girl!" Proving that Akane and Kuno weren't the only ones who were delusional about her abilities and appearance.  
  
Sighing heavily, Genma said, "We have no choice, Tendo. There is only one option available to us."  
  
"You don't mean?" Soun gasped.  
  
"That's right, my old friend!"  
  
The two men looked at each other intently before crying out in stereo, "Operation: Get Ranma and Akane Married!"  
  
They would have both stood up and thrust their pointer fingers to the heavens, however they both forgot they were underneath the house. As a result, they both cracked their heads against the support beams and were sent into a blissful slumber (not that anyone cared...well, actually Kasumi did. She was finally able to clean the floor underneath the Shogi board, a place she hadn't been able to get too in the past two years.).  
  
Meanwhile, out in the Dojo, Nodoka went through the ritual cleaning and cleansing of her katana with a joyful smile on her face. The thought that her manly son had claimed all nine of the famous Sailor Senshi as his mistresses sent her into a daydream of caring for a hoard of grandchildren as she could hear the sounds of her manly son 'serving' his harem.  
  
Which shows that Akane and Soun aren't the only delusional ones living at the Tendo Dojo.  
  
**********  
  
Ranma arrived at school with plenty of time to spare. He saw Akane had gotten ahead of him; apparently still dazed for whatever reason. He absently noticed that most of the students were gathered around the school grounds and were looking at him while whispering to each other. Doing a quick check to make sure he was a guy and that everything was in place (Shirt: check. Pants: check. Shoes: check. Pig-tail: check.) he headed towards the doors before he was brought up short by a familiar bellow.  
  
"Hold, Saotome!"  
  
Sighing, Ranma turned around to look at the speaker. "What'cha want, Kuno?"  
  
"That's Kuno-Sempai to you! Now tell me! Is what the avaricious Nabiki Tendo spoken unto me true?"  
  
"Huh?" Ranma replied intelligently.  
  
"Is it true that you have been consorting with the famed Sailor Senshi?"  
  
Everyone's eyes were on Ranma waiting to see his answer. What happened next was something that no one expected.  
  
Ranma's face twisted into a mask of disgust. "Ew! That...That's just sick! I would NEVER do something like that! Man, and Akane calls ME a pervert!"  
  
A loud crash was heard as the entire student body face-faulted en-mass.  
  
"Ranma?" he heard Hiroshi say, "Kuno means 'Consort'. As in 'to associate with' or 'to befriend'."  
  
Pausing for a moment, Ranma finally replied. "Oh. Why didn'tcha say so? Yea, I met 'em last night. So what's the big deal?"  
  
"Never!" Kuno bellowed as he charged and swung at the pig-tailed martial artist with his bokken; missing by a wide margin as Ranma dodged. "Never will I allow you to sully Her name and honor as you have done with Akane and the Pig-tailed Girl!"  
  
"What'cha ya talking about?" Ranma demanded, not even bothering to attack as he dodged. His eyes narrowed slightly, however. If Kuno was talking about Suna-chan...well, let's just say that things were going to get terminally painful for the Samurai-wannabe.  
  
Ranma's question brought Kuno up short. He clutched his bokken tightly as his eyes began to get that unfocused look that Ranma had seen many times before. It meant that Kuno was about to soliloquize.  
  
"Ah, she is the most beautiful and graceful of all the Senshi! Her splendor rivals all; yes, even that of the fierce tigress Akane and the Pig-tailed Goddess! Her skills are without par in the field of battle! Her mer movements are shear poetry! Her voice is that of a thousand angles! I speak of none other than that great Paladin of Love and Justice! Sailor Uranus!"  
  
"But what about Akane and the 'Pig-tailed Girl'?" Ranma asked, rolling his eyes.  
  
Kuno froze, his mouth hanging wide open. He snapped his mouth closed and tilted his head to one side in deep thought. Seeing that Kuno wasn't going anywhere for a while, Ranma turned around and headed inside to his classroom. Once in his seat, his classmates immediately surrounded him.  
  
"Is it true? Did you really meet the Sailor Senshi?" Yuka asked.  
  
"Yea." Ranma said as he shrugged his shoulders. "But I still don't see what's the big deal, though."  
  
"Are you kidding!" Daisuke said excitedly. "The Senshi are famous all over Japan! They've saved Tokyo from alien attacks and evil Youma countless times!"  
  
"Well, how come I ain't never heard of 'em?"  
  
Everyone in the room looked at each other as they shared one thought. If it didn't deal with food or martial arts, it didn't matter to Ranma.  
  
"Well, it's a good thing that I'm your friend." Hiroshi said with absolute conviction of the true Otkau. "Allow me to enlighten you!"  
  
^Bam!^  
  
Ranma looked carefully at the thick book that Hiroshi had dropped onto his desk. Slowly, he lifted its cover and looked at the first page. He saw a picture of five scantily clad girls dressed in orange, red, light blue, green, and blue fukus. He noticed that even though they were facing the camera when the picture was taken, their faces were obscured; apparently by the same means that prevented him from making out their faces last night.  
  
"Theses are the Sailor Senshi!" Hiroshi said with a flourish. "Well, at least their core group. They're commonly referred to as the 'Inner' Senshi, because of their close proximity to the Earth."  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Sigh You don't even know their names?" Daisuke said with exasperation. "The five you see here are Sailors Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Moon.  
  
"Oh, hey! I remember! I talked to that Moonie chick last night!"   
  
Several of the girls in the room sighed loudly as some of the guys groaned. "You...you talked...to Sailor Moon...?" Daisuke said with disbelief.  
  
"Yea...she went through all these funny poses before she told me her name. Waz up with that, anyway?"  
  
A few of the people in the room shot Ranma dark looks, while Daisuke started to gape like a fish. Ranma looked around the room in confusion and was about ask what was wrong when Hiroshi interrupted him, rolling his eyes. He started to flip the pages slowly, giving Ranma a little bit of information as he turned the pages.  
  
"Here's more pictures of the 'Inners'. This is Sailor Mercury." Ranma saw a girl with blue hair styled like Akanes. She was dressed in light blue and most of the pictures showed her either consulting what looked like a small computer or with some sort of visor over her eyes. "She's apparently the brains of the group. Mercury's most often seen off to the side their fights and calling out weak points or advice. There are rumors that she's either an android or cyborg that escaped from a top-secret government facility or that she was genetically engineered to be super smart. From what I can tell, she apparently has some sort of ice powers."  
  
"This is Sailor Mars." She had long black hair and was dressed in red. Some of the pictures showed her either in a poise Ranma recognized from his travels that some priests would use while in prayer or holding a spell scroll of some sort. Hiroshi noticed Ranma looking at one of those. "Ah, yes. Mars is apparently their spiritual advisor. You know, gives them advice on Religious matters and such. Some people think she was raised in a remote mountain temple where she devoted her life to the worship of her Goddess. Personally, I think she was one of those 'Devil Hunters' that roam around Japan before the Senshi recruited her. She seems to have power over fire.  
  
"This is Sailor Moon." Ranma saw Hiroshi roll his eyes again, and several people shot him dirty looks as he talked. "She's apparently the leader, although I don't believe it." People began to protest as Hiroshi raised his voice to be heard. "Come on! She's a klutzy crybaby who gets a few lucky shots in now and then!"  
  
"No she's not!" Yuka protested. "She a normal girl who's been caught up in event's beyond her control and preservers over adversity while leading the Senshi to victory in the name of Truth and Justice!"  
  
"Yea, right!" Hiroshi snorted. "That's just what everyone says because they feel sorry for her! She's just a wannabe with no real power. Come on! She's Sailor MOON of all things! She's not even named after a planet!"  
  
"You take that back!" Yuka yelled, being physically restrained by Sayuri.   
  
"Now, now...let's not get into a fight or anything here." Sayuri said gently. "After all, Ranma should have a chance to find out about the Senshi."  
  
"Anyway," Hiroshi continued, "Here powers are..."  
  
"Truth and Justice!" Yuka exclaimed.  
  
"Yea...truth and justice." Hiroshi deadpanned, then muttered "And a Frisbee."  
  
"It's not a Frisbee! It's her Magical Disk of Justice that she uses to smite evil!" Yuka said with fervor.  
  
"Whatever." Before another argument could break out, he turned several pages to the next Senshi, this one with dark brown hair tied back like Ucchan's and wearing green. "This is Sailor Jupiter and she's able to summon lightning. She's the 'Inners' powerhouse, and is often seen running headlong into a fight. A real bruiser...actually, now that I think about it, she's sorta like a female Ryoga but with out the depression or directional problems." Hiroshi mused before he said excitedly, "Now, THIS is the most important one!"  
  
Ranma began to flip though the pages and saw the girl with long blond hair in orange that he rescued last night. In fact, Ranma found that most of the book was dedicated to her. "Sailor Venus. Also known affectionately as Sailor V. No matter what other's say, 'I' think she's the leader."   
  
"Yea, right." Daisuke muttered.  
  
"Come on! She was the first Senshi to appear! She's been seen taking the lead time and time again! She often goes out on her own to fight crime! Obviously she's in charge!"  
  
"Tell Ranma what her power is." Yuka rolled her eyes.  
  
"Love..." Hiroshi breathed loudly.  
  
"...love?" Ranma blinked.  
  
"Yea, can you believe it?" Daisuke shook his head.  
  
"I'd like to know what kind of person thinks that love involves chains." Yuka muttered.  
  
"Hey!" Hiroshi snapped out of his daydream and looked at Yuka darkly.  
  
"Now, now." Sayuri cautioned. "Let's try to keep this impartial."  
  
"Like your one to talk." Hiroshi said before he pointed out, "Now who was it that traded me those pictures of Sailor V for pictures of Sailor Jupiter?"  
  
Sayuri blushed brightly as Ranma said, "Oh, yea...that's right. I saved her last night. She was about to get creamed before I carried her to safety."  
  
"You...Touched...Sailor...V...?" Hiroshi drawled out slowly as every girl in the room sighed.  
  
"Just like Tuxedo Kamen." Ranma heard several of the girls muttered.  
  
"Who?"   
  
With a look of resignation, Hiroshi flipped the pages back to the pictures of Sailor Moon. He pointed at several of them that included not only Moon, but also a guy dressed in a tuxedo and a top hat with a billowing cape.  
  
"That is Tuxedo Kamen." Hiroshi said with disgust. "He apparently shows up to save Sailor Moon whenever she's in danger; which happens a lot. Besides that, he never dose anything useful."  
  
"No...he's her trusted protector and has sworn his eternal love for Sailor Moon!" Sayuri pointed out.  
  
Before they could argue any further, Ranma slapped his fist into his open palm. "Oh, yea! Now I remember! The weenie!"  
  
"...What?" Sayuri slowly said.  
  
"Yea. He was hanging around in the shadows after the fight. And...well, why else would someone do that unless they were about to attack? So, I threw a rock at him and knocked him out."  
  
"You...What...!?" All the girls said slowly as their battle auras began to flare. Which Ranma didn't notice.  
  
"Yea...a real wuss. I mean, he obviously doesn't know what he's doing; after all, even Mousse coulda' seen that rock commin'. Look at these pictures, all he's doin' in them is standing there trying ta look cool or sumthin'. I was right, wasn't I? He just jumps in and says a corny speech before disappearing again, right? I mean, even KUNO would try to do sumthin' productive!"  
  
The temperature in the room dropped dramatically while Ranma remained oblivious. Before any of the girls could do anything to Ranma however Hiroshi stepped in.  
  
"Now...now. It's like Sayuri said. Ranma should be allowed to hear about the Senshi impartially, right?"   
  
The girls reluctantly backed down, but kept their hammers ready in case Ranma said something else about Tuxedo Kaman.  
  
"Hey...what about the others? There were nine of them last night." Ranma asked.  
  
"You saw all nine of them?" Daisuke said awed.  
  
"Yea...so?"  
  
Hiroshi and Daisuke shared a look and nodded with conviction. Hiroshi quickly removed the large book from Ranma's desk and replaced it with a much, much thinner one. In fact, it seemed to be only a few pages thick. Everyone crowded closer around Ranma's desk as Hiroshi began to speak.  
  
"Then you, my friend, are indeed very lucky. You've met the 'Outer' Senshi. Very little is known about them. In fact, anything you could tell us about them would be greatly appreciated. These are Sailors Uranus and Neptune." Hiroshi said as he opened the folder and showed Ranma the first couple pages.  
  
Ranma saw a shorthaired blond in a dark-blue colored fuku and another one with long light green hair in a light green fuku. "Of all the 'Outer' Senshi, more is known about these two than the others; and that isn't saying much. They always show up together; although on one knows why. Uranus is the one here with the sword; while Neptune is known to use a mirror of some kind. Nobody knows what kind of power Uranus has; some say earth based powers, but I dismiss it. After all, if she had that kind of power, how come she isn't called 'Sailor Earth' or 'Sailor Terra'? Others say sky based powers, but...well, no one knows for sure. Neptune has power over water, I think. But then again, little is known about the pair. So, Ranma. What can you tell us about them?"  
  
Ranma frowned for a moment then answered slowly. "Well...this one," he said as he pointed at the blond of the pair, "was kinda cocky and arrogant. I kinda liked her for some reason." Ranma trailed off for a moment with a frown. "Oh, yea. She also laughed when I called that Tux guy a weenie."  
  
Apparently everyone was so entranced by Ranmas revelation that the girls in the room let the 'weenie' comment slide. "I see...I see...anything else?" Hiroshi asked and, seeing Ranma shake his head, then turned several pages. "This is Sailor Saturn. Very little is known about her, except that Neptune and Uranus always accompany her...always. Those two have been known to go at it on their own or join up with the 'Inners'; but not Saturn, she's never seen by herself."  
  
"Well, she's kinda young, that's probably why. They're probably her sisters or sumthin'." Ranma said offhand as he looked at the delicate looking girl in the pictures carrying that big naginata of hers; not realizing that everyone was hanging off his every word and taking his guesses as fact. "And she's really shy, too. Don't know why, though, she seemed kinda cute."  
  
Ranma turned the to the last page of the folder and froze. There were only two pictures on that page, and they grabbed his full undivided attention. One showed Suna-chan in her 'Pluto' get up from a long distance away, but he recognized her instantly. The other one had all the Senshi together, including Pluto; which was probably why it was on this page. Although he didn't know it, Ranma was a very luck person. Because of his earlier comments about the other three 'Outers', no one noticed his reaction or how his voice suddenly sounded nervous.  
  
"Er...what about this one?" he asked.  
  
"Sailor Pluto, we think." Hiroshi said preoccupied. "No one knows much about her, if that's even her name. It's a guess, really. There are only two planets that don't have Senshi named after them. And since she's been see more often with the 'Outers'; it's everyone's best guess that she's 'Pluto' and not 'Earth'. So, can you tell me anything about her?"  
  
"Who me? No...not at all. Not a thing. He, he, he."  
  
"Too bad." Hiroshi was about to say more, but the Teacher entered the room.  
  
As everyone scattered to their desks, Ranma gave Hiroshi a silent thank you. If it wasn't for him, Ranma would've had to find out about the Senshi another way; especially since Suna-chan was involved with them. And that meant Nabiki. He was pretty sure that he covered himself well last night and that she didn't suspect anything, but he wasn't sure. She was very crafty, and no matter how hard he tried to hide something from her in the past, she would always find out about it. If he asked her about the Senshi he felt there might be a slim chance that she might find out about Suna-chan.  
  
A slim chance, mind you. But a chance he didn't want to take.  
  
(Who knew? Maybe there's something in the water at the Tendo Dojo?)  
  
The Teacher was about to start the class and begin the school day but was interrupted by a loud cry from outside.  
  
"I Must Have All Three!!!"  
  
**********  
  
Six girls walked through the streets of Juuban on a mission of great importance. Well, at least one of them thought of it that way.  
  
"I heard that this place is great! I can't believe I haven't gone there before! I can't wait until we get there! I've didn't even know that there were 151 different flavors of ice cream! I wonder if they'll let me sample all of the flavors..." The blond with twin pony-tails said with excitement as she bounced down the sidewalk like her namesake.  
  
"Not that you need it, dumpling head. Your hips already wide enough." Rei said with a huff.  
  
"Rei! That's mean! Oh, can I borrow some money? Please??" Usagi begged.  
  
"You...you can borrow some of mine, Usagi." A small voice said quietly from the rear of the group. "Michiru-mama gave me plenty before we left the shrine."  
  
"Really!? Oh, thank you Hotaru! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" Usagi said as she rushed over and hugged the younger girl tightly.  
  
Rei blew her bangs out of her eyes in annoyance. Privately, she enjoyed her fights with Usagi; not that she would ever admit it to anyone. She was a little vexed that Hotaru interrupted their latest fight, but she wouldn't hold it against her. She knew the small girl shied away from any kind of confrontation, so that's probably why she ended Reis' and Usagis' latest quarrel before it began.  
  
In reality, Hotaru did what she did because those two could be so LOUD! She really didn't want Usagi to start to wail; after all, the last time she did Hotaru was standing too close and she couldn't hear out of her left ear for several days. She once heard Haruka-papa say that Rei and Usagi act like they do because they were like her and Michiru-mama but didn't want to admit it to themselves. Hotaru didn't really believe that, but she didn't know for sure. In fact, all she knew for sure was that she wished Usagi would let go of her; it was kind of hard to breath being hugged so tightly.  
  
Usagi released Hotaru and grabbed her hand. "Come on! What are we waiting around here for? Let's go!"  
  
Usagi began dragging the smaller girl down the street as the others followed behind with small smiles at Hotaru's predicament; they've all been there before. Arriving at the ice cream parlor, Usagi proceeded to drool at all the different flavors available; at least until Rei called her a bottomless pit.  
  
After each of the girls ordered, they took a booth at the back of the parlor and began to speak in low voices.  
  
"Usagi!! Give me back my cherry!"  
  
(Ok, maybe not ALL of them spoke in low voices...)  
  
"So, Ami. Is there anything else you can tell us about this Ranma guy?" Rei asked after giving a silent prayer for her lost cherry (and protectively hovering over her chocolate sundae).  
  
Looking up from her ice cream float, Ami opened the Mercury Computer and scrolled through the collected data. "Unfortunately, no. I don't have enough information to even speculate how he was able to do everything he did last night. And there's still the question about that slight trace of unknown magic."  
  
"Maybe that magic is the reason he was able to move like he did." Minako said, taking a lick of her butterscotch ice cream cone. "You know, like some sort of Absolute Vodka Field or something?"  
  
Ami looked at Minako for a moment in confusion before shaking her head. "No, it's not like an 'Absolute Terror Field'. Besides, the one time the readings I got on it 'spiked' was well after the fight. In fact, if it didn't 'spike' I would have just discounted it as back-ground noise from our encounter with the Sidhe."  
  
"What do you mean, 'spiked'?" Rei asked suspiciously, "You mean he did something after the fight? Like when he was talking to us?"  
  
"No, nothing like that." Ami explained, taking a sip of her float. "When I say 'spike' I'm only talking about a .5% increase. And it was directed internally; towards himself. It might be some sort of passive ability; it's even possible he might not even be aware of it."  
  
Taking a lick of her double scoop of Rocky Road, Makoto asked, "So what else do we know about him besides this magic of his and that he's a powerful martial artist?"   
  
"Well, it's not like martial artist of his caliber root through garbage, you know." Minako pointed out.  
  
Before anyone could interpret what the blond had meant, Makotos' eyes suddenly went wide and she slapped her free hand against her forehead. "How could I be so stupid? It's so obvious!"  
  
"What?" Several of the girls asked.  
  
"Nerima!" The brunet said as an explanation as understanding lit the eyes of all the girls in the booth.   
  
Well, all except one. "Mrunina?" Usagi asked, her mouth full. Placing her spoon back into the shattered remains of a triple-banana split with extra toppings, she asked her question again. "What's so special about Nerima?"  
  
"Don't you know anything, dumpling head? Nerima is suppose to be the home of a bunch of insanely powerful martial artiest and Kami knows what else! Remember a couple of years ago when there was that news report on the TV? The one where they showed a hundred foot tall panda facing off against an equally tall...thing? Well, Grandpa and I were watching it together and I asked him about it and...well, he went real pale and got this scared look. He then said something like 'There are some Evils that a girl like you should NEVER be exposed to'. Then he expressly forbade me from ever going there for whatever reason. I don't know about you, but if something in Nerima has got Grandpa scared THAT much, there isn't anyway I'm going there unless it's with all of us together in our Eternal forms, you understand?"  
  
"Yea! I've heard that it's a place where you can't turn around without being attacked by bicycles and mailboxes and giant pigs and there's even this giant demon with tentacles! I don't know about you, but we've fought a lot of thing but there's no way I'm getting near ANYTHING with tentacles!" Minako said with conviction.  
  
"Indeed, I've periodically gotten strange readings originating from the Nerima Ward. Tornado's appearing during clear weather, strange energy readings, and other curious phenomenon. I asked Setsuna once about it and she told me that it was not my concern and that I wasn't to look into it." Ami pointed out.  
  
Hotaru looked up from the single scoop of vanilla ice cream that she had been picking at with her spoon. "Setsuna-mama told me that I wasn't suppose to go there. Even if I was transformed."  
  
Everyone paused for a moment as they absorbed the implications of THAT little statement. If Setsuna didn't think that Sailor Saturn; the Senshi of Destruction; was powerful enough to go into Nerima by herself, then Nerima was truly a bad place.  
  
"Wow!" Usagi exclaimed. "So, when are we going?"  
  
Every head except Usagis hit the table hard after her question. "You...!" Rei said, shaking a finger at the blond. "Didn't you hear a word we just said? Nerima is a dangerous place!"  
  
"Yea, but if Ranma is really from there how else are we suppose to find out about him?'  
  
It was silent around the table for a moment until Makoto slammed a fist into her palm. "Tomorrow! After school! It's probably just a bunch of tricks and exaggerated rumors anyway. If Ranma is from there then it's our duty to find out if he's seeing anyone!"  
  
"Yea! There's nothing that's going to stop me from finding out about a cute guy!" Minako said with absolute conviction.  
  
"No way! Not me! If Grandpa says I'm not suppose to go there, then there's no way you're going to get me to go."  
  
Hotaru just shook her head and Ami sighed. "I'd might as well go. Perhaps I might be able to find the source of those strange energy reading." Unspoken what the fact that SOMEONE with a level head should go with Minako and Makoto into a place as dangerous as Nerima was suppose to be; especially when they were boy-hunting.  
  
"Tomorrow?" Usagi asked in thought. Remembering her earlier decision to talk to Setsuna, she shook her head. "Sorry, there's something I need to do tomorrow."  
  
Rei was about to say something to Usagi (Anyone think that it was going to be something nice? Anyone?) when she suddenly inhaled sharply as he eyes glazed over slightly.  
  
"What's wrong Rei?" Usagi asked her friend with concern.  
  
"Don't you feel that?" the raven-haired girl said distractedly.  
  
All of the girls looked around sharply and discreetly reached for their Henshin Pens as Ami punched a few buttons on the Mercury Computer. "I'm detecting a strange energy source approaching the ice cream parlor." She said in a hushed tone. "It's just outside the door."  
  
The bell over the door chimed and everyone looked with apprehension at the entranceway. In their time they had faced Youma and Phage and Demons and being from the future and the past that were bent on there destruction. While they might not have liked it, they were prepared for anything.  
  
Well...anything except for a small girl with long red hair tied back in a pig-tail dressed in a red Chinese shirt looking around the parlor almost apprehensively.  
  
To be continued...  
(Don't you just hate it when authors do that?)  
**********  
Author's Notes:  
  
The other day I was thinking about exactly HOW Crystal Tokyo would be formed after the 'Great Ice'. It was really starting to bug me. Did it just spring forth from the ground magically? Did the earth become a great wasteland like in 'Fist of the North Star' or 'Appleseed' and did the Senshi have to struggle to build their future home? I thought for a long time before inspiration came to me from an unlikely source and I just had to share my thoughts with everyone.   
  
Now, without further ado, I present the answer to one of the greatest secrets of the Sailor Moon universe.  
  
Ahem...  
  
**********  
  
Minako: Why, Ami? What are we going to do tomorrow night?  
  
Ami: The same thing we do every night, Mina-chan. Try to create Crystal Tokyo!  
  
Minako: Narv! Will we meet any cute boys?  
  
Ami: Sigh Yes, Mina-chan. I'm sure we will.  
  
"They're Minako and Ami.  
They're Minako and Ami.  
  
"One is a genius,  
And the other's boy-crazy.  
  
"To prove their Senshi worth,  
They'll take over the Earth.  
  
"They're Minako...  
Minako and Ami,  
Ami, Ami, Ami...  
  
"Ami, Ami, Ami, Ami."  
  
**********  
  
Heh, heh.  
  
Also, I'd like to thank everyone who gave me wonderful C&C and encouragement (and demanded I get new chapters out as soon as I could). And to everyone on the Delphi Fanfic Forum who's been the first to see my works; such as Ordnance11 and Thermopyle (who's also given me play on his wonderful website @ http://thermopyle.anifics.com)  
  
My fics can also be found on Tannim's sight @  
http://tannim.anifics.com  
and @  
www.fanfiction.net  
  
(2/1/3) 


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